1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cooling of electronic components, and more particularly to cooling systems for electronics onboard aircraft.
2. Description of Related Art
Electronic Flight Bags (EFB's) are computers used by aircraft crews as a replacement for the traditional flight bags containing charts and flight data formerly carried by pilots onto aircraft. An EFB provides electronic maps, weather information, and other information for use by flight crews in flying modern aircraft. A typical EFB is integrated with the cockpit and is not typically removed from the cockpit except for maintenance or replacement.
Temperature control for electronic components, and particularly computer processors, is an issue for computing devices like EFB's. Various measures have been taken to maintain safe temperatures for electronic components in computers, which vary from application to application. Electronics used in aerospace applications must have a high degree of reliability compared to non-aerospace electronic equipment in general. Since motors such as those used in typical cooling fans have a relatively low reliability compared to electronics typically used in aerospace applications, fans are often not used in conventional EFB equipment because it is necessary to replace a typical cooling fan before what is considered a reasonable time to failure. Moreover, in conventional EFB's using a cooling fan to blow air over electronic components can lead to early failure of an EFB if common contaminants like dust, moisture, or salt are entrained in the airflow. Additionally, fans may of themselves also lead to early failure of EFB's. Fans can fail due to vibration and temperature extremes, which reduces the Mean Time to Failure of an EFB. Instead of cooling fans, many conventional EFB's employ elaborate passive cooling provisions which typically add cost and bulk to the design. These traditional means for cooling EFB's may also result in a compromise in capability or reduced operating environmental limits.
The conventional systems and methods have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purposes. However, there still remains a continued need in the art for an EFB with a smaller form factor with acceptable power dissipation. There also remains a need in the art for such an EFB that is easy to make and use. The present invention provides a solution for these problems.